


Look How Far We Fall

by CarryOnMySwanSong



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Breaking Packbonds, Canonical Character Death, Derek Blushes, F/M, Good Jackson Whittemore, Good Peter Hale, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Other, Reminiscing, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is Noah, Slow Burn, Stydia, brief mention of sex, looking back, sterek is endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:15:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23892205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarryOnMySwanSong/pseuds/CarryOnMySwanSong
Summary: After Stiles returns from The Train Station, he tries to return to a normal life. Well. Normal for Beacon Hills. He tries to navigate life, after he leaves the McCall Pack, he and Lydia have a nasty breakup, and something happens that changes his life forever. Will the man he’s secretly held a torch for, since he was 16, see him differently?All tags, relationships, and characters will be updated with each new chapter... and some will be added ahead of time. :)
Relationships: Danny Mahealani & Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish, Peter Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale, Stiles Stilinski/Lydia Martin
Comments: 22
Kudos: 61





	1. Time Passing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Interestingpumpkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Interestingpumpkin/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles does a lot of reflecting on the events that have happened in the past, and the ones he’s still trying to cope with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Characters:** Stiles Stilinski ; _mentioned:_ Lydia Martin, Scott McCall, Donovan Donati, Theo Raeken, Derek Hale, Braeden, Peter Hale, Malia Tate, Liam Dunbar, Cora Hale, Noah Stilinski, Claudia Stilinski, Jordan Parrish, Allison Argent, Vernon Boyd, Erica Reyes, Chris Argent, Isaac Lahey,  
> Pairings: Stiles Stilinski/Lydia Martin
> 
> * * *
> 
> Ugh... I accidentally deleted chapter one, while trying to delete a double posting of chapter two. I’m so sorry, y’all.

A month after his return from the Train Station, Stiles is still adjusting. He and Lydia have grown closer, and are enjoying their time together. After the third week of sleepless nights, they figured out that she keeps his nightmares at bay, when he called her and asked her to come over. He fell asleep almost immediately after she settled next to him, his back to her’s. They set up a schedule of alternating weeks, so that neither is spending too much time in one place.

Sometimes, when he’s alone, Stiles can’t help but feel like Lydia’s the only one, aside from his dad, who hasn’t forgotten him again. He has Scott… sorta… and Scott is happy Stiles is back, but Scott still won’t talk about what happened with Donovan, despite seeing the scar on Stiles’ shoulder more than once. He still believes that Stiles chose to kill the boy, and could have chosen not to but didn’t. Even after Theo admitted his wrongs, when the Bite was showing that it wasn’t going to take. It eventually did, but Scott was still holding on to his original beliefs. This was causing a rift between Stiles and Scott, that was growing ever wider, the longer Scott spent more time with his new betas and less with Stiles.

Derek never came back, after he left with Braeden, and Stiles isn’t sure he’s ready to forgive the man. A lot has happened since that night and Stiles emails Derek weekly updates, but he doesn’t know if the man is reading them. Sometimes he wonders why he even bothers, but each week, like clockwork, he sends the message.

On the nights where he sleeps alone, because Lydia needs some space to just be by herself for a few hours, Stiles sometimes feels like he’s slipping away again. Like he did when the Nogitsone possessed him. He had just started getting used to his new skin when the Wild Hunt appeared. Everything was just too much all the time. Everything that touched his skin felt new, and being stuck in a magical train station didn’t help matters. When he wasn’t running around with Peter, trying to get out of there, he would curl up on the floor, head resting on his knees and try and focus on his own beating heart, to try and drown out all the sensory input. He imagined that that was how babies felt all the time. He was stuck in that place for three months, but it felt like years. He often wonders if it really was years for him. 

Sometimes he talks to Peter about it, and sometimes they just sit in quiet companionship, leaning shoulder to shoulder on one of the couches in Derek’s loft, listening to the other breathe. Sometimes, Malia joins them, sitting on the floor in the gap between their feet. Peter would never admit it, but Stiles knows the older wolf is happy that Malia is finally trying to get to know her father, in spite of his past.

Scott focuses more and more on his new betas, the chimeras they rescued, and Stiles knows Liam has taken over the role of Scott’s Second. Stiles sometimes feels like Scott has forgotten the betas left behind. The ones they had to bury, and the ones who had to leave, because the pain of the memories were too much. 

Two months after Stiles returns from the Train Station, Peter leaves. He says he’s going to go find his remaining family. He thinks Cora is back with the Pack she stayed with when she originally left Beacon Hills, all those years ago. Some of Peter’s connections spotted Derek running through North Carolina, at some point. He can feel their packbonds weakening and he needs to see them again. Stiles isn’t surprised, and is really understanding.

What’s surprising is that Peter leaves Stiles the keys to Derek’s loft. He promises to keep the utilities running, hugs him tight, and scents him before he drags his suitcases out the door, and climbs into his car. Malia hugs him as well, before she follows her father, mumbling something about needing to reconnect to her blood family. If Stiles cries, no one will know, since there’s no one left but him and Lydia and Lydia isn’t at the loft. 

When he returns home, he collapses on the couch, burying his face between his dad’s hip and the crevice in the couch, and just breathes in the familiar scents that have seeped into the fabric. If he concentrates hard enough, he swears he can smell his mother’s lilac perfume and Derek’s leather coat. He’s not sure why that second smell makes him even sadder. Noah just gently places a hand on his son’s shoulder and rubs soothing circles.

Several times a week, Stiles has spotted Lydia leaving the police station as he’s driving up to deliver meals to his dad, who works way too hard. Normally Stiles wouldn’t think anything of it, but he knows that the times Lydia is visiting, Parish is on duty. He knows they used to be an item, back during the whole Dread Doctors thing. He pushes it to the back of his mind, because he doesn’t want to be one of those boyfriends who gets jealous of his significant other’s friends. He knows they are both harbingers of death and need each other the way wolves need Pack.

As the end of his senior year rolls around, everyone seems to be off on their own, aside from Scott and his young betas. Stiles looks around the table they all use to share and can’t help but count all the empty seats. He doesn’t even have Lydia to talk to, because she graduated over winter break. He looks at the seats where Allison, Boyd, and Erica used to sit. His heart grows heavy when his eyes sweep over the empty seats of the living, as if everyone at school knows not to sit in any of the seats, as a memorial to those no longer in Beacon Hills. He feels his eyes grow heavy with tears as the echoes of memories of the gang all together surface. He swears he can hear Allison giggle at something Lydia has said and he blinks a few times to clear his vision of the ghostly images. It’s in this moment that he realizes he’s no longer in a Pack. And just like that, the last tethers of whatever bonds that were left with Scott and the new betas snap and fall away. He’s pretty sure he should be more hurt by it, but he isn’t.

The final month of the semester feels both heavy and wonderful. Recently, Lydia and Stiles’ relationship entered the “doing naked things together” phase, and when they are both catching their breaths from their first time, Stiles looks over, still panting and sticky, and sees how detached Lydia looks. As he moves to the center of the bed, and she cuddles into his warmth, she reassures him that she had fun, and she can’t wait to do that again. He ignores the tickle in the back of his mind that tells him she’s lying.

They start regularly having sex, but the more attached Stiles grows, the more distant Lydia seems. She excuses it as him just wearing her out. They always cuddle and fall asleep afterwards. It's getting harder and harder for Stiles to ignore the tickle in the back of his brain that tells him that something is a little off.

And just like that, their naked time together becomes less and less a thing that happens. She also dismisses it as her being too tired or too busy. Stiles isn’t hung up on sex, and is perfectly fine without it. It's not like he doesn’t have control over his own urges. It's just frustrating that he’s getting more excuses than even just hang-out time, nevermind the naked variety. Sometimes he doesn’t see her until she’s crawling into bed to go to sleep.

On days where his loneliness gets the best of him, he visits his mother, Boyd, and Erica. He cleans their headstones and leaves flowers behind. He knows that Boyd and Erica’s families both moved away before the headstones were put in their plots. The only good thing about that is the fact that the Pack was able to sit them side by side without any protests. They share a joint spot with one of those double headstones with the vases on each corner. It was Stiles’ idea to have carved two wolves curled up together in the space between their names. When Allison died, Chris had her cremated and took her remains with him, when he and Isaac left the country. Stiles opts to leave flowers at the headstone of her great great great, who’s name she bears.

After graduation, Lydia slowly stops showing up at night, to crawl into bed with Stiles, and when he tries to show up at her house, she isn’t home. It takes two weeks, before Stiles realizes it's been that long since they’ve slept in the same bed. He asks her about it, and she just tells him that she’s been getting back really late. That her bed is closer to the Mayor’s office than his, and she’s just too tired to drive the full way. He sighs in frustration. Her attempts to make it up to him are half hearted, at best. The tickle in the back of his brain has turned into a full on irritation and he can’t ignore it, even though he tries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the life’s blood that keeps me going!


	2. Drowning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles deals with the aftermath of the breakup, Peter and Malia send him some encouraging words, and Noah bonds with his son in support.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Characters:** Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin, Jordan Parrish, Malia Tate, Peter Hale, Cora Hale, Derek Hale, Noah Stilinski

Looking back on today, Stiles will want to kick himself for not seeing the signs. But right now, he’s making his way to the flower shop on Main Street, and is picking up the bouquet he ordered a week ago. He pats his front shirt pocket, reassuring himself that the small box with her gift is still where he put it.

Today is their anniversary, and he has a deep feeling that today will change everything. Call it nerves, his gut, intuition, maybe even his Spark, but he just knows that today, nothing will be the same. 

He pulls up to Lydia’s driveway, and notices an extra car. He squints but gathers the bouquet with her favorite flowers and the gift box with a necklace he’d bought a while back. It’s a pendant that looks like the wave form of him saying “Remember I love you”. 

Wanting to surprise her, he uses his key and lets himself in. He squints again, when he sees two wine glasses on the coffee table, with wine still in them, and the nearby bottle half empty. He sighs. Wanting to know for sure that what he thinks is happening, is actually happening, he makes his way to the back of the house, where he knows her bedroom is. 

He stops short when he hears a masculine voice. “Are you sure Stiles is okay with this? He’s my friend. I don’t want to step on any toes.”

“It’s fine. Jordan. He knows this isn’t serious. I’ll break it off, for good, tomorrow.” 

He hears them kiss. With his face growing hot, he storms back down the hallway the way he came. He tosses the gift on the table next to the door where Lydia put a bowl to store keys, and tosses the bouquet in the small trash can sitting next to it. He sighs deeply before wrenching the door open, and slamming it shut as hard as he can. The glass in the window of the door shatters. He doesn’t notice that when the door meets the jam, all the lights on the block go out.

He gets in his Jeep, and peels out the driveway, leaving twin tire marks on the pristine concrete and drives down the road faster than he should. His face grows hot as tears trail down his face. He barely registers the phone ringing. When it stops and starts again, he sends it to voicemail. When it rings again, he turns his phone off and throws it in the seat next to him, screaming into his steering wheel and shaking it, as if he were shaking a person. All it does is throw him out of the lane slightly. He grinds his teeth, sighs deeply, and rights his course.

He isn’t ready to talk to her just yet. 

When he makes it home, he notices his dad’s car is still missing from the driveway, which means his dad won’t be home for another couple of hours. He heads to his bedroom, peels the sheets off his bed, removes the pillow case from his pillows, and tosses them in the dirty clothes. The pillow she slept on, he tosses on the floor. He then grabs the mattress and hauls it off the bed. He drags it out of his room, back through the short hallway, and opens the front door. He hauls the mattress to the curb, and stomps back inside. He then grabs the pillow and launches it from the doorway. It lands on the bare mattress. He storms inside, grabs the dirty clothes hamper, and throws the sheets into the washing machine, putting it on its hottest setting. Once it’s full of water, he adds the detergent and some bleach, and then shuts the lid. He goes back to his room and gathers up his pillow and the comforter and drags them both into the laundry room.

He sits on the floor, with his back against the washing machine and pulls out his phone. He deletes her number from his phone, and blocks it. 

**He sends a text to Peter and Malia:**  
_ “I should have listened to you both. A Banshee is much better off with a Hellhound. I just wish she’d broken it off with me first.” _

**Malia:**  
_ “Want me to eat her face?” _

He laughs a little at this.

**Peter:**   
_ “She’ll do it. You know she will.” _

**Stiles:**  
_ “Thanks guys, but no.” _ He pauses before he then types out  _ “Hey did y’all ever find Cora and Derek?” _

**Malia:**  
_ “Yeah, we found them both in South America. Derek had to clear his name of all the deaths that Kate caused and framed him for. Once he did, with Peter’s help, we all found Cora and stayed. Both want to go back to Beacon Hills, but no one’s sure when.” _

**Peter:**  
_ “Why? Miss us?” _

**Stiles snorts and texts back:**  
_ “Yes, Zombiewolf, I miss all you Hales. I miss being in a Pack.” _

He sighs, not meaning to reveal that little tidbit of new events.

**Peter:**  
_ “What do you mean?” _

**Stiles sighs deeply, collecting his thoughts before replying:**  
_ “I’m no longer in the McCall Pack. I felt the last of the pack bonds break, right before graduation. I haven’t spoken to Scott in months. I didn’t want to say anything, but… without an Alpha, I can’t feel your bonds either. I miss it.”  _ As an afterthought he adds  _ “I’m just a regular ole boring human again.” _

**Peter texts him privately:**  
_ “Sweetheart, there is nothing regular or boring about you. I hope you know that. You’ve saved our asses more than once. It takes a lot of courage to run with wolves with nothing but your wit, and your bat. And if you ever tell anyone I said those nice things to you, I’ll eat your face.” _

Stiles smirks at this phone. Then frowns as an unknown number pops up on his screen. He sends it to voicemail. When the alert for a new voicemail pops up, he frowns deeper. Curious he opens the voicemail tab and sees that the message is only a couple of seconds long. He taps play 

There’s a lot of garbled noise like someone fumbling for the phone and then he smiles when he hears a familiar voice. It’s distant, as if the person speaking is far away, _ “Cora! Give me that back! What are you doing? Hang up the phone! Hang up the ph-!” _

**Stiles saves the number under “Sourwolf” and sends a text to it.**  
_ “Ha! Now I have your number, Sourwolf.” _

**Sourwolf:**  
“ _ ¬_¬ _ ”

Stiles wants to reply but he’s laughing too hard. Once he calms down, he sends a thumbs up emoji back. Derek doesn’t respond, but Stiles isn’t disappointed; he wasn’t expecting a response anyways.

Once he settles back down he pulls up a sad playlist up on Spotify and waits for the timer to tell him when to put in fabric softener. Once that’s done he googles how to wash his pillow in the washing machine. 

He spends the rest of the time singing to the songs, wallowing in his anger and sadness, and changes the laundry over. 

After everything is washed and dried, he makes his way down the hallway and looks at the bed in the spare bedroom. It’s a size bigger than his old bed, but he doesn’t care. He starts taking it apart, removing the mattress and box spring, then takes the frame apart. He goes into his room and does the same for what remains of his own bed. He could have just kept the mattress inside but he didn’t want it in the house anymore. 

Slowly but surely, he moves the two beds to their new rooms. He takes the sheets and blankets from his old bed and throws them on top of the box spring in the spare bedroom. He doesn’t much care for the comforter for the new bed, so he digs out one of his mom’s old quilts and puts that on instead. The last thing he does before he collapses on his new bed is put a pillowcase on his, now clean, pillow.

A few hours later, he wakes to the sound of his dad walking through the front door. He opens his eyes, and is disoriented by the amount of bed that surrounds him. He sits up and looks around. He huffs to himself, as the memory of him moving beds around comes back to him.

Noah walks up to his doorway, and peers in. “Ah hell, kid, what did you do.”

“She cheated on me, Dad. I didn’t want the bed in the house anymore. It was full of lies.”

“Well, now I know why Parish called me and apologized to me, but wouldn’t say what for.”

“I don’t think he knew. At least not fully. I think she was lying to him too.”

Noah nods, a solemn expression on his face. “Do you need anything?”

Before he can speak, Stiles’ stomach growls in response.

The two men laugh.

“It’s still early, I can order something for us,” Noah states, cautiously. 

“You know what? Yeah. Two extra large pizzas, extra cheese, and three times the meat lovers topping.”

“That bad, huh?”

Stiles just nods.

“Alright, son. Why don’t you take a shower and pick out a couple of movies for us to watch? I have tomorrow off, and we can sort everything out then, okay? Tonight, we drown our sorrows in pizza and movies. We wallow like men.”

Stiles smiles at the sparkle in his dad’s eyes. He nods and Noah walks away to place the order.

By the time the food arrives, Stiles is on the couch closest to his dad, and Noah is in his recliner. Both are in their comfiest pajama pants, and are idly watching the news. While Noah answers the door, Stiles goes to the kitchen and grabs a soda for himself, a beer for his dad, and some napkins. They each have their own pizza box, so there isn’t a need for plates. As Stiles sets them on the coffee table, Noah starts the first movie.

The next few hours are taken up by overeating, lots of yelling at the screen, and several cans and bottles of whatever their drinks of choice are. By the time the credits roll on the third movie, Stiles is passed out cold. Noah gets up and grabs the blanket from the back of the couch, and gently lays it on Stiles. He then gathers up all the empty cans and bottles and puts them in the recycling bin. He takes both pizza boxes and puts them in the fridge. He turns off the tv, and sighs, looking at his son, as he turns the light out. He goes through his own night time routine before crawling into bed. He kisses his finger tips, and taps a picture on his nightstand. It’s of a much younger Stiles, Noah, and a bright eyed Claudia, before the illness was obvious. He listens to the quiet of the house before he closes his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the life’s blood that keeps me going!


	3. A Wolf’s Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little glimpse into the Hale family’s lives, and some of their thoughts about what’s currently going on with stiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Characters:** Peter Hale, Malia Tate, Cora Hale, Derek Hale; _mentioned:_ Stiles Stilinski, Samuel Reynolds (OMC)

Peter looks down at his phone, and frowns. Glancing over, he realizes Malia is too. Stiles’ texts are concerning. He didn’t realize things were as bad as they are back in Beacon Hills. If he had known, he wouldn’t have left when he did. 

After his squabble with Cora, he notices Derek’s blushing a little. _How curious_ , he thinks to himself.

He texts Malia, even though she is sitting right next to him. He smirks when he sees what she has him labeled as in her phone.

 **HaleDad:  
** _I think we need to get back to Beacon Hills as soon as we can. Stiles is an emissary without a Pack. That can’t be doing good things for him._

**Daughter Dearest:  
** _Yeah. Do you think they’ll come with us? It feels like Derek and Cora are both stalling. I don’t get why._

**HaleDad:  
** _My darling nephew has never been good at facing his own demons… but I do think we need to wait to tell them both about Stiles’ lack of Pack. For now, I think we need to focus on establishing ourselves as his Pack. Video calls, texting more often, that sort of thing._

**Daughter Dearest:  
** _I can do that._

Peter waits for Malia to say more, but she doesn’t. Instead she stands up and walks over to Cora and Derek and tells them goodnight. 

He frowns when his phone alerts him to a new email. He groans. 

The email reads:

> _Greetings Mr. Hale,_
> 
> _I hope this correspondence finds you well, and that your sabbatical has been a healing one. Apologies in advance, I know we agreed on six months, but a large project has been dropped in my lap unexpectedly. The last firm pulled out of the contract, and it was mandated that we take it. I think it’s right up your alley. It will require restoration, as well as new additions. Part of the building is over 100 years old and we aren’t allowed to alter it, except to ensure that it is livable and that it matches the photos we’ve been given. As for the parts that aren’t that old, we’ve been given permission to do as we please, so long as the building is cohesive._
> 
> _Please return to New York at your earliest convenience so that we may discuss your fees, and you can meet the new team. We look forward to your arrival._
> 
> _Regards,_
> 
> _Samuel Reynolds_
> 
> _RED_

Peter groans again. He sends a quick confirmation email and grumbles under his breath. 

Derek looks at him from across the bonfire and raises an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Reynolds needs me back in New York as soon as possible. A new contract fell in their lap and they are being hounded to take it.” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“When do you leave?” Cora asks, disappointment lacing her words.

“I’ll stay until Sunday night and book a flight for early Monday. If they want me in the middle of my scheduled sabbatical, then they can wait a few more days.” A growl bubbles up in the last few words. 

“Do you want me to come with you? I’ve never been to New York.” Malia pops her head out of the window of her bedroom.

“Honestly, I think it would be better to stay with Derek and Cora for a while. I don’t know how long they’ll need me, and I’m rarely home when I’m in the middle of a project. But if you really want to come, you can.” Peter replies.

Malia tilts her head in thought. “No, you’re right. I think I should stay here. I don’t have full control yet, and I don’t think Central Park is a good idea to run through during the full moon. It’s safer if I stay here.”

Peter nods, his mood a little soured. He stands and stretches. “I think I’m gonna turn in. Tomorrow I start trying to acclimate to Eastern Standard Time. This should be fun.”

Derek and Cora say their good nights. Before he shuts the door to the house behind him, he hears Cora asking Derek about Stiles. And Derek telling her to shut up with a playful growl. Peter smiles to himself as he makes his way to his room and prepares for the next few days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is the life’s blood that keeps me going!


	4. Mourning Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles wakes from his night spent on the couch. Jordan comes over, and a confrontation happens with Lydia. Stiles solidifies his friendship with Jordan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Characters:** Stiles Stilinski, Noah Stilinski, Jordan Parrish, Lydia Martin

Stiles wakes to the smell of coffee in the air. The sun is further across the living room than it would be if he was waking up early in the morning. He grabs his phone from the side table. It’s nearly noon.

“Morning, kiddo,” his dad greets him, handing him a cup of coffee, and setting the sugar and creamer on the table in front of him.

“Hey, Dad. Sleep okay?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Neck’s a little sore, but I did fall asleep face down on the couch.” He laughs a little and rubs the back of his neck.

Stiles fixes his coffee, takes a couple of sips. He sets his cup down and heads to the bathroom to take care of business. When he comes back, he makes a stop in the kitchen, grabbing his pizza box. He notices his dad’s is on the counter, and is empty. He smirks.

“I thought you hated cold pizza?” he questions, as he sets the pizza box on the coffee table.

“I do. Which is why I heated it up in the oven.”

Stiles smiles around his bite of food. He’s about to say something snarky, when there’s a knock on the door. Color drains from Stiles’s face, and Noah’s face takes on a serious and hard expression.

He holds a hand up, silently telling Stiles to stay put. He opens the door, and greets Parrish.

“Deputy. What can I do for you?”

“Sir, I’m sure by now that Stiles told you what happened. I just needed to talk to Stiles. I feel terrible about all this.”

Noah looks back at his son, and Stiles nods. Noah lets the Hellhound in.

Stiles scoots to one side of the couch, so that Jordan can sit with space between them.

Before he can talk, Stiles asks him, “Did you know?”

“I did, but not fully. She had me believing, the entire time, that what was between the two of you was casual. I had no idea it was more than that for you. I’d never have started seeing her if I had known.”

Stiles sighs and wipes his hand over his face. “I wanna call you a liar. I wanna hate you. But I believe you. I heard what she told you before I stormed out. You gave her the option to tell you the truth and she still lied to you. You’re the only friend I have left in this town, besides Danny. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

Jordan sighs in relief. He then huffs in frustration. “You know if I could stop seeing her, I would, right? If I wasn’t this thing that needed to be around her like a beta needs an alpha, I’d break up with her. I think it’s the same for her, too. This is so fucked up.” 

“I get it, man. You aren’t human. At least not totally. And you have instincts you have to cater to. As long as you don’t talk to her about me, and never ever ever talk about your sex life, I think we’re good. Now. Here’s the most important question of the day…”

Jordan raises an eyebrow in question.

Noah walks in with two coffee cups, and hands one to Jordan. “How do you take your coffee?”

Stiles points at him, and tilts his head to the side with his eyes closed, as if to say  _ ‘that’s the one’ _ .

Jordan let’s out the breath he was holding, and both Stilinski men laugh as the tension in the room dissipates like a California marine layer at noon.

Stiles, Jordan, and Noah hang out and catch up for a few hours. The three of them haven’t had the chance to sit down outside of school and work. It’s nice. Just as Jordan gathers his things to leave for his shift, he goes stiff. Right before Stiles can ask him what’s wrong, there’s a knock at the door. Stiles goes pale. He knows who it is and he isn’t ready for this. He sighs. Might as well get it over with.

Noah opens the door, and he eyes Lydia, before opening it all the way, and walking away as she walks through. She goes to speak to him and he holds up his hand to stop her. He turns to Stiles. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”

Stiles nods. “Jordan, you don’t have to be here for this, if you don’t want to be.” He says politely.

“No no, I want to hear this too.” He says, a stern look on his face. 

Lydia had folded her arms at some point, and unfolds them in a huff as she sits in one of the chairs in the room.

“No. You don’t get to be angry.” Stiles bites out. “You lied to me. You lied to both of us. For someone so damn smart, you really are stupid.”

Lydia scoffs. “What did you expect, Stiles? For me to just magically fall into your arms and we’d ride off into the sunset together?”

“I at least thought you loved me back.  _ Jesus _ , Lydia, did you care about me at all? Or was I just another one of your talking strings you had to solve?!”

Lydia smacks her lips and looks off into the distance. 

Stiles flails in frustration. “The least you could have done was tell me! Instead of leading me on. Sleeping with me, fucking me, letting me think we had some sort of future together. Instead, you sneak around behind my back, lie to my face, and lie to his too.”

“You shouldn’t have assumed.” She says, simply.

“Assumed what? That you loved me? Why wouldn’t I? YOU SAVED ME!” His voice gets increasingly louder until he’s just yelling.

“No, Stiles. My banshee powers  _ found _ you. It was your  _ dad’s  _ love that saved you. He’s the one that clung to your memories. I heard the echo of your voice like you were a ghost. We were Pack. Nothing more. You were the one who assumed it was love. You’re the one who led yourself on. I never once said it was anything more than two people comforting each other after a traumatic event.”

“Oh grow up, Lydia. You hid in the omission. You are  _ heartless _ . I used to think you were the bravest, smartest, most beautiful person I ever knew. But now? You’re a coward, and I can finally see just how ugly your insides truly are.” Everyone in the house can hear the venom in his voice.

“You’re so pathetic. You chased after me your whole life. Wasted so much time. And now look at you. Alone. Grasping at straws. And for what? You hope I’ll take you back after this? I hardly think so.” She huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

Stiles looks at her and laughs. He full on knee slap, deep belly laughs. “Want you  _ back _ ? I threw away the bed we shared just so I couldn’t smell the stink of your lies. Get out of my house. Get out of my life. Don’t come here, don’t call me. Don’t even think about me. Because clearly that’s easy for you. We are done, completely.”

“But what about the rest of the Pack?” She asks.

“What Pack? You mean the McCall Pack? Don’t worry about seeing me around. I’m no longer a member of that pack. If anything, I’m part of the Hale Pack, if it still exists.” Stiles glares at her as something in his chest itches. He absentmindedly scratches at it.

Before he can say anything, Noah appears in the living room again. “I think it’s time you actually leave.” He says.

“Fine,” she says. “Jordan? Let’s go.” She raises an eyebrow at him as she stands to walk to the door.

He looks up at her with pain in his eyes. “No. I think I’ll stay. We both know I won’t be away for long, but I think I need to be away from you for a while.”

She rolls her eyes and storms out of the door that Noah is holding open for her. They hear her get in her car and peels out of the driveway before he can close it.

“Deputy, are you going to be okay to work today? If not, I can call in for you.” Noah looks at the Hellhound with deep concern.

Jordan’s hands are shaking. “I- uh…”

“Don’t worry Jordan, Dad’s got your back. Why don’t you chill with me for a while? I was gonna go over to Derek’s place for a while and look through some of the books Peter left there. I’m pretty sure there’s a whole book on Hellhounds. I’ll drive us.”

He nods.

Noah pulls his phone out and dials the number to the station. He walks into the other room and Stiles walks to his room, coming back out and handing the deputy a pile of clothes. 

“Here. You’re in uniform. This will be way more comfortable. The shirt’s mine, but the sweats are my dad’s.”

“Yeah, thanks. Which way to the bathroom?”

Stiles directs him and leaves him to it. Stiles cleans up their dishes and the leftover pizza boxes. By the time Jordan is out of the bathroom, Stiles has his keys out. 

“You ready?” 

Jordan just nods. 

“Dad! We’re leaving now! See you later!” Stiles calls out as he walks out the door and holds it open for Jordan. He shuts it behind them and locks it.

The drive over is quiet, and stays that way as they arrive. Stiles lets them into Derek’s loft. They don’t really talk as Stiles finds the books he wants. He hands one to Jordan and they both settle on the couches to read. 

When darkness falls and both of their bellies rumble, they drive back to Stiles’ home. They exchange only small talk. Both seem lost in their own thoughts. When they get back, Noah offers to feed Jordan, but he declines. He has some leftovers at home and he just wants to eat and head to bed. Stiles and Noah are both understanding and wave goodbye as Jordan drives away.

After he eats something, Stiles heads to his room and throws himself on his bed. He kicks his shoes off, haphazardly throws his clothes to the floor, and falls asleep on top of the blankets in his underwear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is unsatisfied with Lydia getting punished for what she did to Stiles, don't worry, this is just the beginning. More is coming at some point. But soon, Stiles will have way more to worry about. :)
> 
> * * *
> 
> Feedback is the life's blood that keeps me going!


	5. Playlist - Always The Last Chapter!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a playlist to go with the story! I will add reasons for each song, as we encounter them so I don't give away the plot lol  
> The placement of this will stay at the end of the story, so it will move with each chapter update. The order of the songs is likely to change too, as I think of them to add. :)

**The newest chapter is always gonna be the chapter previous to this one! ❤️**   
  


_**Storyboard:** _

  * **Grown Man Cry |** Amanda Palmer, The Grand Theft Orchestra  
\- Stiles anger that Derek isn’t coming back
  * **Bruises |** Lewis Capaldi  
\- Stiles sadness over Derek not coming back, especially since so much time has passed since he’s heard from or seen him.
  * **Invisible** | Skylar Gray   
\- Generally how Stiles feels through chapter one
  * **Mercy** | Shawn Mendes  
\- Stiles’ feelings for Lydia
  * **Please Don’t Go** | Joel Adams  
\- Stiles can feel Lydia Pulling away
  * **Something Wrong** | Timeflies  
\- Stiles can tell something’s up and it’s more than what Lydia is saying
  * **Stay** | Rihanna  
\- Stiles’ sadness over the end of the relationship. He doesn’t want her to stay, though. He wants back the Lydia she showed him.



_**Stiles' Sad Playlist:** _

  * **Unfaithful** **|** Rihanna
  * **What About Us |** P!nk
  * **You Said You’d Grow Old With Me** **|** Michael Schulte
  * **Stone Cold** **|** Demi Lovato
  * **Jealous** **|** Labrinth
  * **River of Tears** **|** Alessia Cara
  * **Tell Me How** **|** Paramore
  * **the lonely** **|** Christina Perri
  * **Drown** **|** Seafret



**_Storyboard:_ **

  * **The Killing Type |** Amanda Palmer, The Grand Theft Orchestra  
\- Stiles wishing Lydia had been honest about her feelings towards him. His anger at the betrayal.
  * **Jar of Hearts** | Christina Perri  
\- During Stiles' argument with Lydia. He realizes he does not want her back.
  * **Good Enough** | Little Mix  
\- coming to terms with the breakup and realizing it was for the best, and realizes he doesn’t even want to be her friend anymore. He’s grown beyond needing her anymore.
  * **Falling** | Harry Styles
  * **NFWMB |** hozier
  * **La Vie en rose |** Edith Piaf



_**Jungle's Goth-Night Playlist:**_

  * **Werwolf** **|** Der Fluch
  * **Beloved** **|** VNV Nation
  * **Stukas im Visier** **|** Feindflug
  * **Switchback** \- Klayton Remix **|** Celldweller
  * **Good Is In The Rain** **|** Suicide Commando
  * **The Broken Ones** **|** Diva Destruction
  * **Nosferatu** **|** Paul Roland
  * **Frozen** **|** Celldweller



_**Storyboard:** _

  * **I’m Over You** **|** Bryan James
  * **Leave a Light On |** Tom Walker 
  * **Crush** **|** Tessa Violet
  * **War of Hearts (Acoustic Version) |** Ruelle
  * **don’t worry, you will** **|** lovelytheband
  * **Million** **Reasons** **|** Lady Gaga
  * **No Right To Love You |** Rhys Lewis
  * **Innate Beauty |** Familiar
  * **More a Than Friends** **|** Jason Mraz, Meghan Trainor
  * **Like I’m Gonna Lose You |** Meghan Trainor
  * **I Like (the idea of) You |** Tessa Violet
  * **Can’t Help Falling In Love **|**** Hailey Reinhart
  * **Might As Well Dance** **|** Jason Mraz  
\---
  * **I Choose You** | Sara Bareilles
  * **Two |** Sleeping At Last
  * **I Found** **|** Amber Run
  * **Sad Song** | We The Kings, Elena Coats
  * **Adore You** | Harry Styles
  * **Absolutely** **Smitten** | dodie
  * **Angel |** FINNEAS
  * **The Left Side Of The Moon** | Michael Mott, Zachary Levi




End file.
